New England Aster
Family: Asteraceae (Aster
Family)
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Height: 2-3 feet
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Spread: 1-5 feet
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Bloom Time: August to
October
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Bloom: purple to rose rays with a orange
disk
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Light: full to partial
sun
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Soil: sandy, loamy,
tolerates clay
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Moisture: medium to moist
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Use: prairies,
borders, native plant gardens, naturalized areas, rain gardens, cottage gardens,
butterfly gardens, sedge meadow, fen, swale, thickets, streambanks and
lakeshores; attracts butterflies, moths, small and
large bees; larval host plant to pearl crescent butterfly, Canadian sonia moth and mining bee
·
Care: medium
maintenance; pinch back for a compact and bushy plant before mid-July to
control plant height and to avoid the need for staking
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Concerns: no serious
insect problems; can be extremely aggressive and needs competition; good air
circulation helps reduce foliar diseases, like powdery mildew; aster wilt can also be an occasional problem if grown in poorly-drained clay soils; taller plants require staking
·
Native to: Dane County and
most of Wisconsin, absent in much of the north; North America except for
Florida, Texas, Louisana, Arizona, Nevada and Idaho
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Notes: one of the
latest, most colorful flowering asters; leaves can be used to alleviate skin
rashes and poison-ivy
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Supplier: Agrecol Native Nursery
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Teaching Garden
Location & Code: Demonstration Prairie 1029, Rain Garden J033
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